Fallen from Grace
by CaledoniaDraconia
Summary: After Norrington is banished form Port Royal, he finds love in the most unlikely place may contain spoilers for DMC please RR, no flames! I don't own POTC!
1. Idea of a Joke

Fallen from Grace

I.

Idea of a Joke

Four ranks. Just four ranks, that was al he needed. Then he would be in charge. He would command the King's fleet. He had been a commodore for too long, but that was all about to change. With the elusive heart of davy Jones now safely in Lord Beckett's possession, his position was secure, and he would take revenge on all who had caused his downfall.

"Norrington!" a sharp voice jerked the unfortunate man from his reverie. He rose and strode into the office of cutler Beckett, eager for news of his promotion. Beckett stood behind his desk, a purple vein pulsing in his forehead. "Is this your idea of a joke!" he demanded, unwrapping the cloth that once contained the heart of Davy Jones.

Norrington stared dumbstruck. How could it be gone? Then a horrible thought struck him. Jack Sparrow! He must've somehow gotten it back! "It was there, sir-" Norrington insisted.

"Liar!" Beckett bellowed. He inched his way around the desk so that he was menacingly close to Norrington. "I would see you hang for this," he threatened, "but I am yet to find a law that would allow it, so'" There was a long tense pause. "I hereby banish you from Port royal," Beckett declared, the sentence cracking like a whip upon Norrington's ears. "And if I ever see you or your worm-eaten ship again, you will be shot on sight!"

"Mercer!" Beckett summoned his rat-faced assistant. "Show this man the door!"

Norrington could hardly believe what he had just heard. Banished! Port Royal had been his life. Now he had to leave it and the people he had come to know - Governor Swann, Gillette, Will, and Elizabeth. He would never see Elizabeth again.


	2. He's a Scoundrel!

II

He's a Scoundrel!

With a heavy heart, Norrington set sail for Tortuga, the only other civilized island in the Caribbean. His time away had done a number on him. He spent most of his days drunk now that he had no need for honor. He sat at his regular table in the back of a grubby pub, watching the wenches as they passed him. He finished off another bottle of rum, trying to battle the memories of Elizabeth that clouded his brain. A familiar name pierced the incoherent babble, and that name was Jack Sparrow.

"What do you know of Jack Sparrow!" Norrington snarled, imprudently grabbing the shirt of the man who had just spoken.

The man flicked him off his person as if he were as insignificant as a bug. He crashed into a group of sailors at the other end of the pub. The brutes started yelling and punching one another, giving Norrington the opportunity to sneak away. The brawl continued for several minutes until Katherine, the barmaid, had the presence of mind to silence them all with her dinner bell.

John, the owner of the pub, surveyed the damage. There were several broken bottles and a few smashed chairs. One man was still in a headlock, scared still by the bell. The scene was enough to outrage anyone, even the kindly John. "Who started this!" he roared into the crowd.

"The former commodore!" someone shouted. John beckoned to his teenage son, Charlie, who was drying a glass. Then his eyes turned on Norrington. He felt John's tight grip on the back of his coat. Everyone in the pub cheered as he was thrown face first into the street.

At the same time, a young woman named Anna Bannerley was on her nightly walk when it suddenly began to pour. She had lived on tortuga long enough to be used to its unpredictable weather, and headed home. She was almost to her house when she heard the noises from John's pub. _They sound like they're having a good time _she thought as she hurried on. She had almost passed the pub when something sent her sprawling into a puddle. From a distance, it looked like she had tripped on a rather large stone. Then she realized it was a _man_!

Her first instincts told her he was dead, but she had to know for sure. Touching him with her skirt, she carefully rolled him onto his back. One of his eyes was blacked and his lip was torn and bleeding, but he was very much alive. The candlelight from the pub shone on his face and caught the blue-and-gold of his tattered uniform. Anna gasped. "You're a Navy man!" she whispered, surprised.

The crowd parted as Anna entered the pub. The rough, rowdy men were used to Jezebels and whores. Never had they seen a fine woman before. "I need an able-bodied man!"Anna announced.

A toothless lecher grabbed her around her waist. "I'm right here, baby," he said.

Anna eyed him with disgust. She didn't have time for this! She gave him a hard shove, forcing him to let go of her. Everyone stared in amazement; they might have expected that from a wench but not from her!

She proceeded to the counter where John and Charlie were laughing about some poor fool who thought he could catch a pirate. John looked up when he saw Anna. "Miss Anna," he greeted her, "What can I get you?"

"Please," said Anna, "I need you help."

John mumbled to Katherine to watch the counter as he followed Anna out of the pub. Outside, Norrington still lay unconscious on the wet street. "Please, John," Anna begged, "My house isn't far. We can't just leave him here!"

John hesitated. This man was well-known for starting fights in his pub. What if he tried to hurt Anna? "I'll do it for _you_, Miss Anna," he said slowly as he lifted Norrington's limp body, " but I don't see what you'd want with him. He's a scoundrel!"

Ana brushed a stray lock of hair out of Norrington's face. "Aren't we all?" she said.


	3. The Name of the Man

III

The Name of the Man

Norrington awoke with a searing pain in his head. As his eyes cleared, they fixed on those of a young woman. '_Elizabeth!_' he thought for a split second. Upon closer inspection, this girl in no way resembled Elizabeth. She wore a dress of the palest blue that exactly matched her eyes, and her hair spiraled into platinum-blonde curls.

Norrington tried to raise himself, but the girl pushed him back into the mountain of feather pillows. He gave her hand a tight squeeze. All his life, he had taken care of the Crown. Never had anyone taken care of him. Yet here was this tender, motherly creature who had taken him under her wing when all others had deserted him.

He looked up at his pretty savior and saw a tear on her cheek. It glistened like a diamond in the light, but it was far more precious. This was a kind of jewel no pirate could ever plunder. He caressed her wet cheek as if to say, "Don't weep for me,' but saw, to his horror, a black streak where his hand had been. He had marred her perfect porcelain skin! "I'm sorry, Miss-" he said, embarrassed.

"Anna," she finished for him. "My name is Anna.'

She was surprised! This man sounded so well-bred when he spoke to her. She had expected him to be another rough-and-tumble drunkard that john typically entertained. '_But he was in the Navy,_' she reminded herself. Or was he? Maybe he was really a pirate who stole that coat off a poor dead sailor. After all, she knew nothing of this man! He hadn't even told her his name. "Well," Anna said cheerfully, "now you know my name, but I can't recall yours.'

"James Norrington," he introduced himself.

"_Norrington,"_ Anna repeated to herself. _"Norrington. I know that name. Why do I know that name?"_


	4. The Cat and the Mouse

IV

The Cat and the Mouse

**Anna's Flashback**

Little Anna loved going to work with her father. She loved to watch ships through the big window. She loved to play with her father's pen and ink. Mostly, she loved to talk to the people who came to see her father or his boss, Lord Beckett.

Anna sat on the floor playing with her doll, Lucie, when the door creaked open. Two men in blue coats marched past her. One of them was short and squat with a white powdered wig. The other was tall and thin and wore his light brown hair in a low ponytail. One mumbled something to Mercer, the new desk clerk. Mercer slunk out of the room, and Anna rose to greet the two guests. "Hello," she said, giving each of them a deep curtsy.

The older of the two men chuckled. " well, what might your name be, lassie?" he asked her in a thick Scottish accent.

"Anna Claire Regina Bannerley," she informed him proudly. "What's yours?"

"Big name for such a wee thing!" he boomed. "I'm Commodore McAllister, and this is my associate, Lieutenant Norrington."

The young man inclined his head to acknowledge Anna's presence. His eyes were cold and devoid of emotion, but they were not unkind. He adjusted his hat and proceeded to drum his fingers impatiently on Mercer's desk.

Anna had never seen a hat like that before. It was brilliant blue to match his coat with gold trimming around the edges and a white feather that stuck up in the back. She admired the hat for several minutes but then remembered it was rude to stare and looked away. "I like your hat, sir," she said politely.

Lieutenant Norrington cleared his throat rather loudly. "Well, I-" he stammered. Commodore McAllister elbowed him in the ribs. "Thank you."

"Might I try it on?" Anna ventured.

What was she thinking! She had once asked to wear Lord Beckett's wig, which could only end in disaster. Lieutenant Norrington started to protest but looked to his superior for help. Commodore McAllister laughed. "Let her wear it, Norrington," he instructed.

Norrington carefully placed the hat atop Anna's white-blonde ringlets. It was too big for her and fell in her eyes. He gently pushed it up so she could see. "How does it look?" Anna asked.

"It looks better on you than it does on him!" Commodore McAllister joked.

At that very moment, Mercer returned with Lord Beckett and Mr. Bannerley at his heels. Beckett gave Anna a poisonous look. There was one thing that Cutler Beckett hated more than pirates, and that was children, little girls especially. He whispered something to Mr. Bannerley an then turned to the two sailors. "Anna, give the hat back to Lieutenant Norrington," said Mr. Bannerley, exasperated.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Norrington," Anna said sweetly as she handed the hat back to its owner. She curtsied to him again and then left to play with Lucie while the men argued about pirates.

It was a known fact that Beckett and Bannerley disagreed about what should be done with pirates. As far as Lord Beckett was concerned, they should hang all the prates and be done with it. Mr. Bannerley, however, had a different idea. He thought pirates should be detained and offered freedom in exchange for the whereabouts of others like them. Anna tended to agree with her father. She didn't like the thought of dying. When she was still in England, she'd had a little gray cat. She remembered how sad she'd felt when it died and couldn't imagine how she'd feel if it was a person, even a pirate.

The focus of the men's conversation had shifted, and Anna heard her name mentioned. Lord Beckett put on a shrill high-pitched voice and imitated her girlish giggle. "_Would you like some tea, Lord Beckett_?" he mimicked. "_Here's a pretty flower for your office, Lord Beckett. May I wear your wig, Lord Beckett?"_

"Anna just tries to e kind," Mr. Bannerley interjected.

"Kind! Children are not supposed to be kind!" Beckett raged. "Children are supposed to be quiet and obedient! It appears you, of all people, would know that, Bannerley!"

"What is it, Commodore!" he snapped at Mcallister, who had been waving his arms like a chicken's during the long angry tirade.

"In Heaven's name, keep your voice down!" the commodore exclaimed.

Anna heard no more. Her skirts brushed against one of the men as she ran for the door, but she never looked back to see which one it was. Shr pushed her way through the crowds in the street and ducked into a dark alley between two shops. Why did Lord Beckett hate her so? Why did her father do so little to defend her? Why did he allow Beckett to turn him into a mouse? The Scottish commodore did not, and neither, Anna was sure, would the young lieutenant.Hot , angry tears streamed down her face at the thought of her father's betrayal. She buried her face in her arms and sobbed.

"I believe this belongs to you," a distinctive authoritative voice said..

Anna lifted her eyes to meet those of Lieutenant Norrington. He reached into his coat pocket, and there was Lucie! Anna realized that in her retreat, she must've left Lucie behind. "Lucie!" she cried, snatching her dol without even saying thank you.

"It was very imprudent of you to run away, Miss Bannerley," Lieutenant Norrington scolded her .as he helped her up. "Your father will be worried." Anna's anger toward her father mounted. If he had been worried about her, he would've gone after her himself. He would be worried, certainly, but his main concern was for his standing with Lord Beckett, not for her.


	5. Just Following Orders

V

Just Following Orders

**Anna's Flashback contd.**

The Bannerleys had just sat down to a big diner when there was a sharp knock at the door. Mr. Bann**erley **gave his daugheter a stern glareHe still hadn't forgiven her for embarrassing him in front of Lord Beckett. Anna stiffly rose from her chair, secretly glad the door had given her an excuse to escape her father's scorn. She was surprised to see Commodore McAllister and Lieutenant Norrington standing outside, as well as a third gentleman she had never met before "Hello, lassie," the commodore greeted her.. "Is your father home?"

Anna nodded. "Father!" she called. "You have visitors!"

The scene that played out was unreal. Lieutenant Norrington wrestled Mr. Bannerley to the ground as he appeared in the doorway and clapped a pair of shiny silver handcuffs to his wrists. Anna screamed. She tried to run to her father, but her mother restrained McAllister unrolled a paper scroll and read, "Lionel Bannerley, by order of His Majesty the King of England, you are under arrest."

"What are the charges, Commodore?" Mrs. Bannerley questioned timidly, still maintaining hold of the fighting Anna..

Commodore McAllister fumbled with his papers. "Consorting with pirates, conspiracy against the Crown, multiple acts of piracy," he recited. His voice dropped. "All of which punishable by the gallows," he added quietly.

"But that's preposterous!" Mr. Bannerley spluttered. "I'm no pirate! You know me, I work for Lord Beckett!"

A bell sounded in Anna's head. Lord Beckett! He and her father had always argued about pirates, and now he was trying to convince everyone that he _was_ one! "Lord Beckett did this!" she shouted. This is his doing!"

The strange man approached her. He had no hair on his head, but he made up for it with a scruffy beard. He gave her a sickly sweet smile, making her recoil in fear. "I wouldn't say such things if I were you, little lady," he threatened, waving a club in front of her face, "or you'll be accompanying your father to my prison."

Anna broke free of her mother's clutches and grabbed the front of Lieutenant Norrington's coat. "Please don't take him!" she pleaded. "He has done nothing wrong!"

His eyes locked on hers for a moment. There was a flicker of emotion in them that she had never seen before, but it left as quickly as it had appeared. The lieutenant turned to Mr. Bannerley and gave him a push toward the door. Anna's heart sank; her words had failed.

Anna and Mrs. Bannerley were led into the prison by the scraggly warden. He prisoners leaned on the bars of their overcrowded cells and leered at them. Anna winced and ran to catch up with her mother. Suddenly, the warden stopped. He hung his torch in the bracket above Mr. Bannerley's cell , and a familiar pair of green eyes pierced the light. The cell was guarded by none other than Lieutenant Norrington!

Prison had changed Lionel Bannerley. He no longer resembled the prominent second-in-command to Lord Beckett that he had once been, but more the ghost he was yet to become. Anna held her father's hand through the iron bars, and Mrs. Bannerley dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. The lieutenant excused himself. "You were right about Lord Beckett,' said mr. Bannerley, his voice barely more than a whisper "he told me everything."

Lieutenant Norrington returned to show Anna and her mother to the door. Her eyes darted from him to her father. She hadn't given up yet! "Please, Lieutenant Norrington," she begged, taking his hand in both of hers, "Please save my father."

Norrington stared at her but quickly looked away. He pulled away from her touch, and Anna understood. He would do nothing.

A mob had gathered to watch Lionel Bannerley die. Anna had heard terrible stories about hanging, but she had never actually seen it happen. Her father told her that when someone was executed. There was always a big man in a black mask called the executioner. But there was no masked man at the execution of Lionel Bannerley. His executioner wore a blue-and-gold hat, the very same one Anna had not long ago begged to wear.

Anna did not cry when her father died; she was too angry. She had trusted Lieutenant Norrington! How could he betray her? The life of an innocent man - or those of a thousand men- must not matter to him so long as he kept his rank! Annas tiny hands clenched into fists. She wanted to hurt Lieutenant Norrington as he had hurt her!

As if reading her thoughts, someone grabbed her from behind. Anna kicked and screamed, but the grip was too strong. Soon she found herself face-to-face with Lord Beckett. "Rachael Bannerley," he greeted. His lips curled as he turned to Anna. "And Anna. This _is_ a surprise.."

"Such a shame about _dear_ Lionel," he said sarcastically, " but we cannot allow pirates to corrupt us."

Anna opened her mouth to say something, but her mother silenced her with a look. "Nor the families thereof," Beckett continued, "which is why you are banished from Port Royal.. You will board a ship bound for Tortuga immediately and never return."

**End Flashback**

Anna stared at the man in front of her. His light brown hair, once perfectly coiffed, was now a tangly mess. His vibrant green eyes, one unfeeling and hollow, were now full of sadness. But somewhere he was still the same James Norrington she had always known. "You're the lieutenant from Port Royal!" she gasped.


End file.
